


Better Late than Never, Rory!

by nitamar



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Gen, It is not as cheerful as the title suggests
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-27
Updated: 2013-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-21 13:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/900671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nitamar/pseuds/nitamar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rory gets a surprise visit at 4am.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Late than Never, Rory!

**Author's Note:**

> Set after TATM for the Doctor, somewhere between the first half of S7 for Rory. Either the TARDIS hasn't changed its interior yet or the Doctor persuaded her to dig out the previous for the Centurian. A birthday fic for me.

Rory hummed under his breath as he carefully closed the bathroom door. It's four in the morning and he had just taken a quick shower after coming back from a shift. Though Amy's used to his shift routines, never wake a Scottish girl at 4 was one of the first things he learnt from his married life.  
He stopped short as he turned, very nearly yelped had he not been always sort of expecting it at the back of his mind.  
The TARDIS was parked in the corridor, where it was definitely a blank wall when he last passed it to tip-toe into the bathroom. Rory scratched the back of his head. He was certain he didn't hear the TARDIS noise when he was in the shower, and he had been QUITE. Maybe River's with him? But what would his daughter be doing there 4 in the morning?  
Glad that he decided to wear a pair of pants instead of just a towel, Rory walks up to the TARDIS, still careful not to wake his wife. As if on cue the TARDIS door opened a fraction as he approached, the steady breathing of the time machine spills into the corridor, making Rory wince. A hand with a golden watch on its wrist appeared from inside before a head popped out. It's the familiar face of his Time Lord all right.  
The Doctor glanced around rather nervously, "Psst Rory." He whispered, as if a blue box in the middle of one's house wasn't enough to get one's attraction. "Doctor it's four am." Rory whispered back. "I know!" The Doctor looked genuinely pleased with himself, which made Rory the more confused. "Come in, quick!" The Doctor said, and his head disappeared into the TARDIS, with a final look around to make sure that Amy's not yet disturbed, he followed suit inside and closed the door behind him.

"Doctor what's this about?" He asked the man now beaming at him at the top of the stairs. The golden light in the console room is dimmed, meaning it's night time onboard, too. He bounced down till he's a little too close to the Centurian, his hands behind his back. "To give you your birthday present, Rory!" The Doctor exclaimed happily. "What? Doctor it's not my bir-" "I know!" The Doctor said like he had just been complemented. And Rory noted with amusement how talking without gesturing with his hands turned out to be quite an ordeal for the alien. "But," The Doctor went on, "You mentioned to me how I missed your birthday this year, so I couldn't surprise you on your actual birthday, you know, paradox. So -" He pulled the thing he had been holding in his hands out from his back and showed Rory the square box beautifully wrapped by some material that looks like solid running water. "Better late than never, Rory! Happy Birthday!" "Well, thanks Doctor." Rory had to laugh at the childish excitement on the Doctor's face. It's endearing how he looked like 6 instead of 1200 when he smiles like this. Even his eyes look younger, well, relatively younger. "What's in it?" He asked him as he tore apart the wrapping carefully, it feels like running water under his fingers, too. Smooth and slippery, but not difficult to hold. "I got this the last time I went to the rings of akhaten!" The Doctor looked pleased he could use his hands to emphasize his talking again. "All the medical supplies you can get in the universe! I had to give away one of my scarves by Madame Nostradamus!" "All of them? In this little box?" Rory said, amazed, before realizing how stupid his question was. "Oh Rory!" The Doctor looked so proud that he could be floating, "Added some finishing touches myself, or rather, the old girl did it. Timelord technology." "Bigger on the inside, yeah I forget that." Rory muttered, quite overwhelmed by this gift. "Really Doctor, you don't have to do this." "Just put your finger on the lid like this and think of the thing you need, you will open the box and find it." The Doctor showed him, ignoring Rory's words like he always did.  
"Thank you, Doctor." Rory said, holding the little box in his hands as he had no pocket to put it in. Then he remembered, "Why this early in the morning, Doctor? You staying for breakfast?" "No, no I can't Rory, I have to," Like it was never there before all the Timelord's cheerfulness was gone at once. He avoided Rory's eyes and made to turn back to the console, "Things to do. I'm just popping to give you this. I-" But Rory grabbed his arm and pulled him back, "Doctor, you have a time machine. You will never be late." he said. "What is it? Tell me." He said firmly. In the back of head he felt the door that was his centurion life opening. And he suddenly felt old again, and the alien in front of him was just a daft wee boy that needed his watching out for all the time.  
"Oh, Rory..." The Doctor was still looking anywhere but his eyes, despite the fact that their face was a tad bit too close even for them. There was silence for several seconds, so still only the steady breathing of TARDIS is heard, before the Doctor finally looked up into the eyes of Rory Williams. "Rory..." he called again, like he's desperate to say this word one last time before he miss the opportunity forever. With one hesitant hand he touched the nurse's face, carefully, as if he's prone to break at the slightest touch. Rory didn't lean back or move away, but let him touch his cheek, his temple, before finally resting his palm on his jawline, fitting perfectly. "What's wrong Doctor?" He asked again. But the Timelord just looked at him with sad eyes, sadder than he'd ever saw him, not even when Amy melted in front their very eyes, not even at Demon's Run, not even when he's about to fly the Pandorica. 'Oh Rory." The Doctor tried, but most of the syllables are lost in his god-knows-how-old-now throat. Those ancient eyes were now filled with tears threatening to fall, the Doctor blinked and they slid down his cheek as if they were racing against each other, and splashed onto Rory's hands still holding the little box, the only distance between them. His eyes still closed like he was too afraid to see, the Doctor pulled slightly with his hand on Rory's jaw and put their lips together.  
The kiss was still-one of them too afraid and the other too confused to move-and very wet. After a few seconds it turned desperate. Rory could taste the bitterness of the Doctor's tears on his tongue and he didn't care. Instead he kissed his way up to the Timelord's eyelids, trying to catch every drop before they splash and splatter onto the front of their clothes. "Oh Rory." The Doctor pushed his head back down with a hand behind his neck so he could taste his lips again. Neither of them knew how long the last kiss lasted, both wrapped in each other's arms, locked in an embrace, breathing out as the other breathing in.

It was the Doctor who pulled away, a little too roughly, like he was forcing himself too. When Rory looked up to his face it seemed he has mostly recovered. "You should go back then, or Amy will be worried." The Doctor said, putting on his fake smile Rory knew so well. "And I need to be off." "Stay for breakfast, Doctor." Rory invited again, though he knew the answer already. His lips still steadily upwards the Time Lord shook his head. "Things to do, Rory. You know me. Keep that with you all the time. You'll need it." He added, pointing to the little black box Rory was still clutching tightly in one hand. "I will." Rory said. "So...See you, then." Rory said, reaching his hand for the TARDIS door hesitantly. For a second he thought the Doctor's giving him one last hug, but he's somehow already up the steps by the console. "Bye Rory." The Doctor said. And Rory truly understood what River always said about his eyes, those eyes that had seen civilisations thrive and crumble to dust; those eyes that had seen love and separations; those eyes that had seen passion and cruelty. 'Oh and don't mention this to Amy, or me." The Doctor was almost back to his random self. Rory nodded, forced a smile, and left the TARDIS.

It was when Rory Williams sat in 1940s New York, using the little box of supplies to save lives with medicines that wouldn't be available to Earth for another god knows how many years, did he realized what happened that morning at 4 am, when he just finished a night shift, in the apartment the Doctor bought them, and he hoped and hoped that somewhere out there, his Timelord is okay.


End file.
